


Together

by RowynSN



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Gwen knows about Morgana's magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-23
Updated: 2015-10-23
Packaged: 2018-04-25 02:30:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4943266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RowynSN/pseuds/RowynSN
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As they smiled at each other, something passed between them. It didn't need to be spoken. It was both an agreement and a declaration. Together, it said. They would get through this together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Together

**Author's Note:**

  * For [astralDeveloper](https://archiveofourown.org/users/astralDeveloper/gifts).



> Thank you [EccentricFox](https://www.fanfiction.net/u/1285571/) for beta-ing.

A lump was lodged in her throat as Morgana held Gwen's hands in a tight grip. So much for telling Gwen everything as soon as she saw her. After a pause, Gwen asked, "What did you want to tell me? Are you alright?"

Morgana cleared her throat and nodded. Dropping Gwen's hands, Morgana turned around and shuffled towards her dresser, busying her hands with moving things around.

"Morgana. Don't do this. What's wrong?"

Should she just tell her? What would Gwen say if she found out Morgana was a witch? Would she accept her or perhaps something else entirely? What if - no, she shouldn't make herself more nervous than she already was. Plus, if she kept the secret any longer, she knew she would burst.

"I have magic."

There. It was out. But she couldn't turn around. Not right now, anyways. Gwen's expression could be anything. Disgust, horror.  _Anything_ , including everything bad.

Seconds passed and Morgana closed her eyes and let her arms drop to her sides. Why wasn't Gwen saying anything? Morgana wanted to turn around to see what Gwen's reaction was, but if it broke her heart, she wasn't sure if she could face it. She turned around anyways.

Gwen didn't appear mad or disgusted, her expression instead thoughtful. Her brow was drawn and her eyes almost glossy, as if she were somewhere else.

After a few more seconds, her eyes focused and Gwen asked, "Are you sure?"

"Positive. With the way things are in the kingdom, I wouldn't dare label myself a witch if I wasn't sure."

Gwen nodded then in a move that surprised Morgana, pulled her into a warm embrace. "No wonder you were about to cry when I first came in here. To have to live with that secret for so long. And being alone on top of that. I'm so sorry."

Well she had tried to tell Gaius, but he would hear nothing of it. So she supposed she was alone. Until now that was.

Gwen squeezed tighter. "I'm so sorry," she repeated, her voice hushed.

Tears burned behind Morgana's eyes. The frustration from the past month and the warm feelings Gwen inspired were suddenly overwhelming and she couldn't hold them back any longer.

"Thank you," Morgana whispered, voice cracking. Gwen withdrew and scanned Morgana's face, her expression worried.

"Are you alright?" Gwen wiped the tears falling from Morgana's face.

"Now I am."

As they smiled at each other, something passed between them. It didn't need to be spoken. It was both an agreement and a declaration.  _Together,_  it said. They would get through this together.

* * *

 

And so they did. Gwen soon found out how much Morgana could control her powers - which was not at all - and worked on finding ways that she could master them.

The day started out as normal. Morgana awoke and Gwen was right beside her, serving her breakfast and picking out her clothes for the day. A bowl of water sat at the end of the long table next to her bed.

"Good morning," Morgana said with a yawn. "What's the water for?" It didn't look like her usual cleaning basin, so it must be for something else.

Gwen turned around after opening the curtains with a smile as bright as the sun behind her. "To help with training of course."

Morgana's cheeks heated up. Gwen was beautiful. The sun hit her skin and hair making her look like an angel with a halo. Morgana wanted to kiss her and she couldn't tell if that was a good or bad thing.

"What do I do, then?"

Smiling still, Gwen brought the bowl to her and set it on her lap. "I'm no expert or anything but I heard that witches can control the elements. Maybe controlling the water will help you control your powers."

That made sense. Why hadn't she thought about this before? "Do I just try to make it move?"

"Something like that. Just do what feels right to you."

Morgana nodded and stared at the water, willing it to move. It did nothing. And after a minute, Morgana turned back to Gwen. "It's not working."

Gwen chuckled. "It's only been a minute, silly. You can't master the elements in a couple of minutes. Just keep practicing. I'm sure you'll get it eventually."

They sat there for most of the day, talking as Morgana tried to master the water in the bowl. When she thought about it, concentrating over a bowl of water that was not doing anything seemed strange, but she guessed she had to start somewhere.

* * *

 A fortnight after she had started training, they were celebrating Morgana's success in learning how to control water when news of another witch being executed reached their ears. The mouthful of cake that Gwen had baked turned to ash on Morgana's tongue.

"That could have been me," Morgana said once the guards had departed. While the witch hunt had been on her mind before, now that she had some control of her power, it seemed like much more of a threat.

Gwen's scrunched up her face. She must have realized it too.

"We won't let that happen."

How though? Morgana didn't ask like she wanted to. Gwen probably didn't know the answer. What could either of them do? They were just two girls without much to their names.

"I'm sorry," Morgana whispered. Bad things could happen and Morgana had dropped Gwen in the middle of it all with her secret.

Gwen put her arm on Morgana's shoulder. The touch sent warmth all the way down to her toes. "It's not your fault, we'll find a way."

Morgana nodded. She wasn't so sure, but they had to think positive if they were to get through this.

* * *

 Executions were happening in Camelot more and more frequently it seemed. Each death was like a dagger in her chest. Gwen tried to keep Morgana centered and happy, but under Uther's thumb, that was an almost impossible task. Every time Morgana did any magic in the comfort in her own room, the thought that she would get caught and killed crossed her mind. Uther had no heart. He would kill her in a heartbeat if he suspected she had magic. And the thought that her life could be destroyed in one swoop put her on edge.

The notion didn't strike Morgana until Arthur brought forward the idea of a tournament while they were eating dinner one night.

"A tournament?" Uther asked, almost perplexed. She could understand. A surge in executions and a witch hunt didn't scream tournament to her either. "At a time like this? When magic is running rampant in the kingdom?"

Arthur took a sip of his wine before replying. "It's the perfect time. The people are growing restless. Hosting a tournament is sure to brighten their spirits."

The wheels were turning in Morgana's mind from then on. A distraction was all they needed. Neither Arthur or Uther would be paying much attention to her with a tournament to keep them occupied.

Morgana smiled. "What a fine idea! When will this tournament take place?"

"As soon as we can have everything prepared. How does that sound?" Arthur turned to Uther.

Uther nodded and smiled into his cup as he took a sip. "Perfect. You're right. A tournament is just what we need."

Morgana searched the room for Gwen and sent her a look that conveyed her desire to talk after dinner. Gwen nodded her understanding.

The rest of the feast went by slowly and when it was finally done, Morgana nearly sprinted to her room. Gwen was sitting on a chair by her bed, playing with her hands.

"Gwen!" she said, nearly breathless as she ran towards her, wrapping her in her arms. "I have a plan. We can leave."

Gwen hesitated before returning the hug. "Leave? But where will we go? What about everyone here?"

Everyone here? Did she mean Arthur? Then it occurred to her. "Your brother is here, isn't he?"

Gwen nodded and then separated from the hug. "You know how Uther is. He'll think I kidnapped you."

That was true. Her mood instantly deflated. What were they going to do? They couldn't stay here. Well, Morgana couldn't if she wanted to keep her sanity and life. She could just leave on her own, but she couldn't bear to leave Gwen. Their friendship meant more than any other relationship she had in Camelot. If she looked deeper at her feelings, something more than friendship was brewing. Though, it was too early to see if feelings would stick. Maybe it was just something temporary.

It was selfish to ask, but Morgana was feeling a little selfish today. "Could you ask him to leave Camelot too?"

Gwen's eyes widened and then she turned her gaze the other way. "I couldn't ask that of him. Can we not just stay here? We've been good at hiding your secret so far."

"What if something happens? What if someone finds out? What then?"

"We'll figure it out. We'll leave if they catch us."

Morgana shook her head. "You know as well as I do how well that would work. They'd kill both of us."

Gwen sighed, "You're right. It's a big risk."

Morgana would think that Gwen would at least suggest that she go by herself, but she didn't. Even as they planned their escape, Gwen didn't mention it at all. It was always  _we_. Morgana liked that. We.

* * *

 The day of the tournament came fast. Time flew by as they planned and prepared for their journey. Gwen convinced her brother to leave the city, which after much argument he eventually agreed. All that remained was to run.

They left under the cover of darkness so that they'd have a day's head start before anyone noticed they were missing. The night seemed still, but both of them knew that could change in an instant. Using the servant's passageways, ducking into shadows, and dodging the guards, they took great care to hide their departure and avoid detection.

Once Camelot was well behind them and they had made it to the woods, they began to laugh.

"We did it!" Morgana said as they embraced.

Gwen laughed and motioned forward after they separated. "We have a long way to go before we can say we did it."

Morgana smiled at the sky and then at Gwen. "Thank you for coming with me."

Gwen shook her head and smiled back. It was one of those smiles that Morgana couldn't help but compare to the stars or the moon or whatever grand thing that popped into her mind. Every time Gwen gave her one of those smiles, Morgana had an overwhelming urge to kiss her.

Before she could stop herself, Morgana did. She pressed her lips to Gwen's in a chaste kiss. Gwen's lips were warm and slightly chapped and Morgana closed her eyes and took in the feeling. To her surprise and relief, Gwen returned the gesture. When they separated, they both couldn't stop smiling.

"You like me in that way too?" Morgana asked, almost unable to believe what just happened.

Gwen nodded and licked her lips. Morgana couldn't resist and leaned in with another kiss. Gwen allowed it for a moment, then pulled back with a joyful laugh.

"Morgana, we can't keep kissing here, they'll catch us!"

"Okay, okay. More kisses when we're far away from Camelot. Got it."

Gwen took Morgana's hand and squeezed it. "That sounds perfect."

And then they started running again and a warm, giddy feeling made its way into Morgana's chest.  _Together_. They'd be making a new life for themselves together. The thought made her want to stop again for another kiss.


End file.
